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Technically the game is near perfect. The only thing that I even remotely disliked was the menu system. I felt like there could have been fewer keystrokes to go into and out of the races. Other than that, nothing in this game is wrong. Overall, this is a great game. It is going to spawn more Air Racers, I am sure. It will be interesting to see if Curly Monsters will update N.Gen or Wipeout on the Playstation 2.

While by no means a perfect product, NGEN does a good job of establishing an aspect of the racing genre that will obviously see many reinterpretations -here's to it being a blueprint for games to come.

NGEN Racing has shown that you can add a few more wrinkles to a well-developed genre. There have been few jet racing games for the PlayStation and it’s nice to see another one added that emphasizes speed and skill over all out combat. It’s the fighting that detracts from the overall experience, not just because the weapons and their effects are subdued, but because the control system just doesn’t lend itself to going missile-to-missile with other planes. Thus, it is unnatural and tacked on, with your opponents having a distinct advantage. The graphics are serviceable with some nice touches but are past their prime for the current crop of titles. However, NGen does convey an impressive sense of speed, which covers up some of its display problems. While NGEN Racing doesn’t set the world on fire, adrenaline junkies should enjoy the mix of arcade combat and simulation elements, which provides a new feel and adds depth to a familiar genre.

I suppose the balance of what can be said against NGEN is that it is something of a niche game, and it doesn't present the kind of brand-new standout experience that we encountered in Wipeout or F-Zero. The addition of a third dimension is interesting, but not quite revolutionary, and some of the tracks aren't particularly inspired designs, consisting mainly of long straights and predictable curves. Oh, and if you don't like rave music (like some of my co-workers, who became a little vocal on the subject), you may find yourself turning the soundtrack volume down - although if you do like it, the game does have some rather nicely hypnotic beats. In a lean month for actual completed releases, NGEN was a pleasant surprise, and if you check it out, you should enjoy its particular breed of high-speed racing.

NGEN is far from a flop. Its good graphics and variety will entice some gamers. But if you want to race and shoot, go play Wipeout XL. If you want to fly and shoot, go play Colony Wars. In this case, the apples and oranges just do not come together very well.

N-Gen Racing isn't a truly bad game by any means, and I would certainly be interested to see what the developers could do with a sequel if there was one. For me though, this game simply fails to take off.